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Blog

29 November 2021

What is Medevac?

‘Medevac’ is the shortened name for ‘medical evacuation’. It refers to the safe transportation of patients who have been injured, to get them to a hospital where they can receive further medical treatment.

‘Medevac’ is a term which is often used when evacuating injured parties from large-scale incidents involving high numbers of people. For instance, it may refer to evacuations of service people from areas of conflict, or rescues following a natural disaster. ‘Medevac’ can also be used to describe smaller-scale incidents, for instance when individuals who have been injured abroad need to be transported to a hospital in their home country for treatment.

Here at IAS Medical, we provide comprehensive, high quality medevac services for anyone who needs them. This includes services for the Ministry of Defence, the NHS and insurance companies, as well as individual families. Our highly experienced medical teams can provide expert medical care in any situation involving multiple casualty repatriation, bringing reassurance at the time when you need it most.

Our air ambulances are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so we’re always ready to provide safe and effective medical evacuation whenever you need us.

What do medevac services involve?

When you book medevac services with IAS Medical, you can expect a comprehensive bed-to-bed service. Our team will take care of everything to get the patient from their current location to a hospital in a place of safety. This includes:

  • Collecting the patient(s) from their current location and transferring them by ground ambulance to our specialist aircraft
  • Collecting medical notes if possible, and translating them if necessary
  • Transporting the patient(s) in an air ambulance which is fully equipped for their needs
  • Transporting additional passengers alongside the patient(s) if possible
  • Providing specialist medical personnel to care for the patient(s) along every step of their journey
  • Arranging hospital admission at the destination prior to arrival
  • Transporting the patient(s) from the destination airport to hospital

At IAS Medical, our services are fully bespoke, depending on the situation at hand. If you need to organise medevac flights, please get in touch with our team to find out how we can tailor our services to support you.

Medevac cost

The cost of medical evacuation varies significantly, depending on factors such as:

  • The number of patients, and whether anyone is accompanying them
  • The location of the patient(s) and their destination
  • The type of aircraft required for the needs of the patient(s)
  • The number of medical staff required
  • The airport landing fees
  • The distance which needs to be travelled by ground ambulance

To get an idea of how an air ambulance might cost for one patient, take a look at our guide to air ambulance costs. This guide will give you a rough idea of starting prices for different locations around the world. To get an exact price for your unique needs, get in touch with our friendly team, and we’ll talk you through the options available.

Find out more

To get expert advice on arranging medical repatriation, and a personalised quote for your needs, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the IAS medical team. Call us today on 0800 7999 900 and our friendly experts will talk you through everything you need to know.

How is this calculated?

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Overview

If you need to arrange medical transport, the last thing you should be worrying about is money, so here at IAS Medical we offer all-inclusive prices to help you understand exactly what to expect. The cost of an air ambulance will depend on your individual circumstances, with prices depending on the following factors:

  • The patient’s location and the distance they need to travel
  • The type of aircraft needed
  • The number of medical staff required
  • The airport landing fees
  • The journey required by ground ambulance

The cost of medical crew

The overall cost of booking an air ambulance depends on various factors, including the number of medical staff required and the expertise needed to support the patient’s medical needs.

As an indication of how this affects the overall cost of an air ambulance, the cost of recruiting medical experts is as follows:

  • Flight Surgeons: £700 per day
  • Doctors: £700 per day
  • Nurses: £350 per day
  • Paramedics: £350 per day

The cost of our aircraft

Prices will depend on the type of aircraft you need to book, according to the clinical needs of the patient, the size of aircraft required and the equipment needed on board. Prices will also vary depending on how many people would like to accompany the patient on their journey, although this may not be possible depending on the patient’s medical condition.

For non-serious cases, there is often a choice of aircraft, in which case we will use the most cost-effective aircraft available.

The cost of airport landing fees

All airports charge landing and aircraft handling fees, which will impact on the overall cost of your medical transport. There may also be extension fees to keep the airport open, as well as aircraft de-icing fees.

We provide air ambulances from major airports right across the world, so we can get as close as possible to the patient’s hospital ward. We then use an RAF airport for flights into London, which helps to keep air ambulance costs as manageable as possible.

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